Blogs

Posted on July 29, 2023 by Insight Clinic

Schizophrenia is classified as a psychotic disorder that affects a person’s ability to clearly think, feel and behave. In which individuals with schizophrenia interpret their reality abnormally.

Clinical symptoms of schizophrenia:

There are two types of symptoms: Positive and negative. This does not mean that some symptoms are good and some are bad. 

Positive symptoms refer to an excess or distortion of normal mental functioning. 

Whereas negative symptoms refer to an absence or reduction of normal behaviours and mental functions 

Positive symptoms: an excess or distortion of normal mental functioning. These include:

Delusions

• a fixed and false belief based on a mistaken, strange or unrealistic view.

Hallucinations

• Seeing, hearing, tasting, feeling or smelling things that have no bias in the external world.

Disorganised speech and thoughts

• Hard time organising thoughts and during speech, words are not linked together.

Disorganised behaviour

• Unpredictable and disorganised behaviour such as laughing at inappropriate times or for no reason.

Negative symptoms: an absence or reduction of normal behaviours and mental functions

Flattened affect

• Emotionless or limited range of emotions.

Anhedonia

• Lack of pleasure in activities and interest that used to bring them joy.

Reduced speech

• Speaking less than they used to.

Lack of initiative

• There is loss of motivation and will to do things.

Cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia:

• Difficulty maintaining attention
• Difficulty expressing thoughts
• Memory problems
• Difficulty planning and structuring activities
• Poor concentration
• Slow thinking